Christmas Cake-Shaped Music Boxes at Gallery in Sendai Enhance Festive Atmosphere; Models Available to Buy Until Christmas Day

The Yomiuri Shimbun

15:55 JST, December 16, 2025

Music boxes crafted to look like Christmas cakes are on sale at the Kumanodo gallery in Aoba Ward, Sendai.

About 100 hand-crafted boxes are available that play delightful melodies that enhance the festive atmosphere. The boxes are made with natural materials, with thinly sliced wood layered to recreate the layers of a cake. Sawdust generated during production is then used to resemble biscuits and chocolate, and crushed eggshells are used for the whipped cream, giving the boxes a glossy finish.

The boxes are the creation of Satoshi Kumano, 70, who started making them in 2011 despite his workshop suffering damage following the Great East Japan Earthquake. Kumano was motivated by a desire to ‘bring smiles to the faces of many people’.

The boxes are priced from ¥4,950. “They’re perfect for Christmas, or as a surprise,” says Kumano. “I hope they become cherished memories when people see, touch and hear them.”

The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The music boxes will be available to buy until Christmas Day.